Nikita Scherbak is an interesting, if not polarizing, figure among Montreal Canadiens prospects. There were doubts about his future during the team’s 2017-18 training camp, where he struggled and was among the early cuts sent down to the AHL to join the Laval Rocket.

However, the right-winger who was selected 26th overall in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft, proved many wrong with his strong play for the Rocket, to the tune of seven goals and 23 assists in only 26 games. Scherbak’s 1.15 points per game ranks third in the AHL among players who have participated in 20 or more games, behind teammate Chris Terry (1.17 P/GP) and Calgary Flames prospect Andrew Mangiapane (1.18 P/GP).

His strong performance earned him a few promotions to the NHL this season, but during his most recent stretch of games Scherbak has started to put things together.

During even-strength play, he’s put up respectable numbers for a rookie, with his shot share at 51 per cent. But his scoring chances and high-danger shot share are even more impressive. During his shifts, the Canadiens have controlled 57.7 per cent of the scoring chances and 58 per cent of the high-danger shots. Scherbak’s even-strength production isn’t quite there yet, but the numbers indicate that the points should come if he continues to make a positive impact on the Canadiens in terms of controlling the play.

Where Scherbak really shines is on the power play. He’s one of the better Canadiens players this season in creating chances during the man-advantage. We have to keep in mind it’s a very limited sample size, but the results have been impressive.

As the table above shows, he’s No. 1 on the team in points per 60 minutes during the power play (7.3). Again, this is due to the small sample size, but it’s still a great start to his NHL power-play career. When it comes to shots and chances generated, Scherbak is among the best on the team, where he ranks fourth in shots per 60 (Shots/60), second in individual shot attempts per 60 (iCF/60), fourth in individual scoring chances per 60 (iSCF/60), and fourth in individual high-danger shots per 60 (iHDCF/60).

Canadiens coach Claude Julien deserves some credit for Scherbak’s results on the power play. Scherbak is the one creating these results, but coaches often fail to give young, talented players an opportunity to shine. Instead, they let them rot on the fourth line without many, if any, power-play opportunities.

But in Scherbak’s case, Julien has done a good job giving him ample chances to prove his worth. Scherbak has averaged 1:46 per game on the power play, the sixth-highest usage on the team, behind Alex Galchenyuk, Max Pacioretty, Brendan Gallagher, Jonathan Drouin and Andrew Shaw. With Shaw and Pacioretty injured, and the Canadiens’ playoff hopes long forgotten, don’t be surprised if Scherbak’s power-play ice time rises during the final games of the season.

It’s also worth noting that Julien has given Scherbak relatively easy zone starts, with 57.6 per cent of them coming in the offensive zone. Only Pacioretty and Drouin have started more shifts in that area, which is more conducive to scoring.

Montreal Canadiens’ Nikita Scherbak skates sway from the net after scoring against the Dallas Stars during third period in Montreal on March 13, 2018.John Mahoney /
Montreal Gazette

Of course, like all NHL rookies, Scherbak still needs to improve some facets of his game — most notably, during even-strength play. He is too reluctant to shoot, ranking No. 8 on the team in shots per 60. He also needs to start producing during 5-on-5 play, but that should come with experience.

Defensively, he’s clearly not on the same level as Boston Bruins star Patrice Bergeron, who was drafted in the first round because of his offensive talent. The defensive side of the game, in which Scherbak improved during his time in the AHL, is still a weak point but, at age 22, he has time on his side.

Only 19 games into his NHL career, it’s too soon to declare Scherbak anything more than a player with a lot of potential and encouraging results at the top level, but all signs point to him improving by leaps and bounds.

What we’ve seen from Scherbak this season is a player who is creative, energetic and a little too selfless when it comes to shot selection. But when given more time and space, Scherbak is a legitimate scoring threat in the NHL. These are all things the Canadiens lack, especially the offensive creativity.

Now it’s up to Scherbak to turn his limited sample size into a legitimate career in the big leagues.

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